Homemade Ricotta Cheese Is Your New Holiday Appetizer Board

If you are looking for a crowd-pleasing appetizer that is easy to make and extra special, consider making your own cheese.

Ricotta cheese that is. A few years ago, I took a cheese making class in California. It was an artisanal cheese class and we used ‘just milked’ cow’s milk and various starters. When I went home, I still wanted to make cheese but I didn’t have access to raw milk and I wanted immediate gratification.

Ricotta cheese fit the bill. We didn’t make ricotta cheese in the class, but it is easy to make and there are a lot of recipes for making it at home. The ricotta cheese that I like the best uses no special ingredients to make the cheese curds and separate the whey. The most common acids used to make the fresh cheese are white vinegar and lemon juice—and some recipes call for citric acid. I thought that I would like the lemon juice the best but I didn’t like either of them. The acidic flavors were too present in the finished cheese so I reached down to my Southern roots and created a ricotta cheese with buttermilk.

I love the round, sweet, creamy but slightly sour flavor that comes from using three types of milk; cream, whole milk and buttermilk. That and a touch of salt is all you need to make this full-flavored ricotta cheese.

Once the cheese is strained and cooled, I put it in a pretty bowl; add a sprinkle of good salt, best quality extra-virgin olive oil, your favorite fresh herbs and/or zest. You can serve it with your favorite crackers, breadsticks, fresh warm bread, and grilled bread or toast—it’s all good! I also like to add a drizzle of honey for a sweet and savory contrast.

If you double the recipe or have some left over, you can serve it for breakfast with jam and country ham or prosciutto.

Once you make it a few times, you won’t need to refer to the recipe, making it a very travel-friendly dish. I love having a special recipe that I can make when I visit friends and family. It’s good all year long and you can switch it up based on where you are, and what is in season.

It is a perfect base recipe—like the little black dress of entertaining, just add a few flavor accessories and you’ve got a new dish. This could be your go-to entertaining recipe this holiday season—I know it will be mine!

Buttermilk Ricotta Cheese Dip with Fresh Herbs

3 cups whole milk

1 ½ cups buttermilk

1 cup heavy cream

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Serving:

Fleur de sel or Pink sea salt, about 1/8^th teaspoon or more to taste

1-2 tablespoons of best quality extra-virgin olive oil

1-2 stems of fresh herbs such as thyme, oregano, basil, or herbs de Provence, etc.

Zest of ½ lemon or orange

Crackers, Grilled Bread, Baguette for serving

1. Place milk, buttermilk, cream and salt in a non-reactive heavy-duty saucepan over medium heat.
2. Slowly bring contents to a gentle simmer. As the milk solids begin to separate from the whey, give it a stir and bring it back to a gentle simmer.
3. When you see steam rising and solid chunks forming, turn off the heat and let the mixture cool for about 30 minutes.
4. Line a strainer with folded-over cheesecloth or unbleached muslin*. Using a ladle, spoon the ricotta into the cloth until all of the curds and the whey are in the strainer. Place one layer of the cloth over the cheese. It will strain quickly at first. The longer you let it sit, the drier and more concentrated the cheese will become.
5. Strain cheese for 1-2 hours. I personally like it when almost all of the liquid is strained out and it has the texture of a fresh creamy cheese—not the grainy store bought texture that we are used to.
6. Taste and make sure you like to consistency and texture. At this point you can place in the refrigerator covered for up to 2 days.
7. Just before serving, place in a decorative bowl and make a well in the center of the cheese. Sprinkle all over with salt. Pour about 1 tablespoon of best quality olive oil into the well. Remove leaves from herbs and sprinkle leaves around the top of the ricotta cheese. Sprinkle zest (if using) around the top of the ricotta cheese.
8. Serve with crackers, breadsticks, fresh bread or grilled bread and honey on the side if desired.

Note: I prefer the muslin, which is not as gauzy as cheesecloth. It is also sometimes sold as cheesecloth which makes it even more difficult to find, look for a cloth that has a solid weave and is light beige in color, not bright white. If you don’t have either, you can use paper towels but will need to change the paper towels frequently as the whey drains off.